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My fingers circled around the key Colton Fox had given me that day.
Tuesday, October 8
25
At six that evening, Matt knocked on Kara’s door, then entered without her saying anything.
“Everyone’s ready,” he said.
She didn’t budge. She was sitting at the window, staring out into the city she once loved, wondering when and how everything had gone wrong.
He stepped inside and closed the door.
“You’re not alone,” he said. “Michael and I will be with you the entire interview. You didn’t kill Chen, and the faster we get through this bullshit, the better.”
“They want to interview me about everything,” she said. “The investigation, the arrest, shooting Chen’s bodyguard, the whole nine yards.”
“You don’t have to answer those questions,” Matt said. “Elena Gomez is here as your LAPD representative in case they stray too far off course.”
“But if I’m adversarial, they’ll just dig deeper. Taking up my time—and yours—when we could be out looking for Violet.”
“Thirty minutes. That’s all we’ll give them.”
“I have nothing to hide, but you damn well know that Chavez is doing this because Thornton pushed her to.”
“Chavez may be in trouble herself,” Matt said cryptically.
“Oh?”
“Sloane called me earlier. Chavez is leading this investigation into Chen’s murder. In the four months Sloane has been in the office, she has never seen Chavez get so passionate about any case she was involved with, and she’s rarely taken the lead.”
Odd, Kara thought. “What do you think that means?”
“I don’t know, but I have Ryder digging deep on her, deep and broad. Family, associates, old cases.”
“Maybe she just doesn’t like me.”
Matt walked over to where she sat, held out his hand. “We need to get this over with. Sloane’s here, too.”
“And no one else knows she’s working for you.”
“Correct.”
She took his hand and he pulled her up, kissed her lightly. “It’s going to be fine,” he said. Then he frowned, rubbed her shoulders. “Why are you so tense?”
She’d already told Matt about confronting Elena that afternoon. “Elena and Lex have been lying to me for months,” she said. “And I think they lied to me today, but I can’t put my finger on what’s wrong. It was... Damn, it just keeps slipping away. But I’ll figure it out.”
“Promise me one thing, that when you do, you’ll come to me before you do anything. I’m your partner in more ways than one—never forget that.”
“I won’t,” she whispered. “Okay, I’m ready.”
They walked out and Kara stared at the group assembled at the small conference table in the hotel suite. Elena was sitting at the head of the table. Matt motioned for Kara to take a seat in the center, next to Michael. Then Matt sat, flanking her, and she felt emboldened by her team. She’d get through this. Even though it was an “informal” interview, it was being recorded. Kara didn’t like that. She didn’t like anything about this interview, but Matt said it was in her best interest to cooperate, and he would protect her.
She trusted him. He slid her a cup of coffee and she smiled her thanks.
“Detective.” A trim, attractive woman with flawless brown skin and sleek hair styled into a chic bob started the meeting. “I’m Assistant US Attorney Nina Radinovich. This is Assistant Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Chavez—” she gestured to the woman on her right—late forties, dressed just as impeccably as the AUSA “—and Special Agent Sloane Wagner, both from the Los Angeles field office. You of course know Lieutenant Gomez. We appreciate you taking the time to talk with us.”
Nina Radinovich was straightforward and to the point. Kara noted the bright red four-inch spike heels she wore. She hadn’t even kicked them off under the table, which Kara would have done if forced to wear the ankle-breakers.
